Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Andrew Monticello

Keith Weston

Ashok E Rodrigues

Matthew Johnson

Jonathan Michael Graves

Stuart C Salter

Brendan F Diamond

Michael Edward Brewer

Brian James Andonian

Jihong Guo

Scott L Wilson

Lucian Lippok

Daniel Joseph Dunn

Anthony Paskus

Gustavo Luis Garcia

Kyle Culek

Neil Hurst

Joseph Daniel

Nicholas Harris

Marshall Erin Bates

Brent Clark

A vehicle control system for reducing turn radius of a vehicle may include electric motors associated with front and rear wheels of the vehicle. The system may further include a plurality of vehicle sensors to receive information including driving surface type, vehicle speed and handwheel position. The system may also include a controller operably coupled to the electric motors and the sensors to control wheel slip during a turn based on the driving surface type, the vehicle speed and the handwheel position.

System and method for situationally optimized turning assistance

A method for mitigating torque steer in a vehicle having a steering axle with a limited slip differential and a pair of output members. The limited slip differential includes a pair of differential outputs and a clutch. The method includes: operating the limited slip differential with the clutch in the first condition; determining that the vehicle is in a state in which a torque steer condition is occurring or is likely to occur; and operating the clutch to reduce a torque differential between the differential outputs to mitigate the torque steer condition. A vehicle with a steering axle and a controller that is configured to operate a clutch in the steering axle to attenuate torque steer is also provided.

Torque steer mitigation employing a limited slip differential on a steering axle

An all-wheel-drive vehicle includes a primary axle operably coupled to an engine and a secondary axle having an input operably coupled to the engine a first halfshaft, a second halfshaft, a first clutch selectively connecting the first halfshaft to the input, and a second clutch selectively connecting the second halfshaft to the input. A transmission has an input coupled to the engine and output coupled to the primary drive axle. A driveshaft couples a power-transfer unit and the input, and a third clutch selectively couples the output to the driveshaft. A controller is programmed to, during a power-limiting routine, command a torque to the engine based on closed-loop feedback control such that the torque decreases when a calculated slip of a selected one of the first and second clutches is greater than a target slip of the selected clutch and increases when the calculated slip is less than the target slip.

Vehicle with engine power limiting based on clutch capacity

An electronic locking differential includes a lock ring and a coil that moves the lock ring to engage gears of the electronic locking differential, an energy storage capacitor that powers the coil during at least a portion of engagement of the lock ring with the gears, and a controller. The controller charges the energy storage capacitor to a first predefined voltage prior to the engagement.

Control of electronic locking differential

A system includes a differential, sensors, and a controller. The differential is operable in a first differential mode in which a first shaft and a second shaft are allowed to rotate at different speeds, and a second differential mode in which the differential inhibits relative rotation between the first and second shafts. The sensors are configured to measure vehicle operating conditions. The controller is in communication with the sensors and the differential. The controller, when the vehicle mode is selected, is configured to determine if an intended path of the vehicle is straight, determine if a vehicle speed is less than a predetermined vehicle speed, and operate the differential in the second differential mode for a predetermined time period in response to the controller determining that the intended path of the vehicle is straight and the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined vehicle speed.

System and method for operating vehicle in selected vehicle mode

A vehicle includes an axle having driven wheels each with an associated wheel-speed sensor and the vehicle includes a yaw rate sensor. A controller is programmed to, responsive to a request to reprogram a track width of the driven axle, receive signals from the wheel speed sensors and the yaw rate sensor to learn a track width of the driven axle based on the signals.

Vehicle with track width learning mode

A vehicle includes a trailer hitch, an axle having an electronic limited slip differential, and a controller. The electronic limited slip differential includes a variable torque capacity lockup clutch. The controller is programmed to, in response to detecting the presence of a trailer connected to the trailer hitch and an increase in vehicle speed, increase the lockup clutch torque by a first torque adjustment.

Tow damping system

A vehicle includes friction brakes, an axle, and a controller. The axle has an electronic limited-slip differential that includes a variable torque capacity lockup clutch. The controller is programmed to, in response to a difference between desired and actual yaw rates exceeding a first threshold, increase the torque of the lockup clutch to decrease the difference between the desired and actual yaw rates. The controller is further programmed to, in response the difference between desired and actual yaw rates exceeding a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, increase the torque of the friction brakes to decrease the difference between the desired and actual yaw rates.

System for mitigating vehicle sway

A vehicle includes a differential, a clutch configured to lock the differential, and a controller. The controller is programmed to, in response to a condition or specified drive mode associated with locking the differential, adjust a clutch torque to lock the differential. The controller is further programmed to, in response to an output speed of the differential exceeding a threshold during the condition, decrease the clutch torque to allow the clutch to slip.

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Andrew Monticello